Water-wheel.



K. D. SMITH.

WATER WHEEL.

APPLICATION IILED SEPT. 24, 1912,

1,073,824, Patented Sept. 23, 1913.

KIRK 1). SMITH, 0F NEWPORT, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

WATER-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 753, I913.

Application filed September 24, 1912. Serial No. 722,014.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Kink D. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newport, in the county of Sullivan and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in W'ater- Nheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to water wheels and has for its object to provide a wheel of simple structure which may be used to advantage for developing a maximum amount of power when subjected to the weight or force of water in motion.

With the above object in view the wheel consists of a shaft upon which is mounted a series of disks. Buckets of peculiar configuration are located between the disks and the disks are provided with openings whereby the water may pass from one bucket to the next adjacent bucket throughout the series of buckets so that the water may move in a general direction longitudinally with the shaft as the wheel rotates.

Means may be provided for driving the water in streams into the bucket and a hood or other means may be provided at one side of the wheel for holding the water in the buckets.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described, and then particularly pointed out in the claims and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side view of the water wheel with parts in section. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 4: is a vertical sectional view at one end of the same. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified form of pocket member which may be used in the wheel.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

The water wheel comprises a shaft 1 which is journaled in suitable bearing in any appropriate manner. Disks 2 are mounted upon the shaft 1 and all of the disks except one of the terminal disks are provided with openings 3. These openings are inclined at acute angles to the planes of the disks as best illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawin Blocks 4 are mounted upon the shaft 1 between the disks 2 and the said blocks are provided in their opposite side edges with recesses 5 which constitute buckets. The ends of the openings 3 are located in the sides of the disks 2 approximately at the receiving ends of the recesses 5. The recesses 5 may be generally V-shaped as shown in Fig. 3 or the said recesses may be approximately scrollshapcd as shown in Fig. 5. Thc recesses 5 in each block are located at equal distances from the center of the block. The outer edges of the blocks are areuate and the outer walls of the recesses 5 terminate at the ends of the arcuate edges of the blocks and form comparatively sharp edges 6.

The water for turning the wheel may be applied to the same in any desired manner, but in Fig. 1 a method of applying water is illustrated as an example. A pipe 7 extends along the length of the wheel and the said pipe is provided with discharging nozzles 8 which are located opposite the blocks 1. A hood 9 surrounds the wheel and is located in such close proximity to the same that the water which is discharged from the nozzles 8 is retained in the recesses 5 by the hood as the said recesses describe approximately onehalf of a revolution about the axis of a shaft 1.

The edges 6 of the blocks l arc in stepped relation throughout the length of the wheel. Consequently the recesses 5 are not directly opposite each other at the opposite sides of the disks 2. Therefore it is necessary to slant the openings 3 in order that the water may pass through the disks from the recesses of one block to the recesses of the next adjacent block and enter the recesses of the succeeding blocks at proper points.

Operation of the wheel is as follows: The water is permitted to flow or is forced into the recesses 5 and the weight of the water in the recesses at the upper part of the wheel will cause the said wheel to turn upon the said shaft 1. 'lhrornrl1 this turning move- .ment the hood 9 retains the water in the recesses. VVhon the edges (5 of the recesses which contain the water arrive at the lowest point of the wheel the water flows by gravity out of the recesses, and thus the wheel is maintained heavy at one side of the shaft 2 and light at the other side. lhrongh the rotation of the wheel as above described the water may flow from one recess through the openings 3 into the recess of the neXt adjacent block 4 and this movement of the water is continued throughout the succeeding blocks and recesses of the series. Therefore as the water travels around the axis of the shaft 1 it also moves in a direction longitudinal of the shaft and this economizes the water and facilitates the rotation of the water of the wheel.

Having described the invention what I claim is:

1. A water wheel comprising a shaft, disks located upon the shaft, blocks located between the disks and having recesses, said disks having openings which communicate with the recesses in the blocks and at the opposite sides of the disks.

2. A. water wheel comprising a shaft, disks mounted thereon, blocks located between the disks and having recesses, said recesses being in stepped relation througout the length of the wheel, the disks having openings, the ends of which communicate with the re cesses of the blocks at the opposite sides of the disks.

8. A water wheel comprising a shaft, disks mounted thereon, blocks mounted upon the shaft and located between the disks, said blocks having at their opposite edges recesses located at equal distances from the centers of the blocks, said disks having openings, the ends of which communicate with the recesses of the blocks at the opposite sides of the disks.

4. Awater wheel comprising a shaft, disks mounted upon the shaft, blocks located be tween the disks and having in their edges recesses, the side walls of which converge to the ends of the blocks formlng compara tively sharp edges, said disks having openings, the ends of which communicate with the recesses located in the blocks at the opposite sides of the disks.

5. A water wheel comprising a shaft, disks KIRK D. SMITH.

Witnesses:

JOHN MCCRILLIS, L. MARGUERITE VVILMARTH.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents;

' Washington, D. 0. 

